Even enemies admit Iran’s effective role in region: Velayati

Secretary-General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening Ali Akbar Velayati says even enemies of Iran have acknowledged the Islamic Republic’s effective role in the region.

During a Wednesday meeting with a delegation of Egyptian professors and legal experts, Velayati mentioned the Iranian nation’s relentless support for the Islamic establishment as the most important factor in the country’s growth and prosperity.

“Some governments and countries in the region falsely assume that the key to success is [having] relations with [countries] outside [the region] and granting privileges to foreign elements,” he added.

Velayati, who is also a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, highlighted Egypt’s long civilizational background and rich culture.

He further said the revolutionary people in Egypt can have a powerful government despite all the problems, adding that the North African state can certainly overcome the crises gripping the country.

For their part, members of the Egyptian delegation also stressed the need for the expansion of bilateral ties between Iran and Egypt in different fields.

Iran severed its diplomatic ties with Egypt after the Secretary-General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening Ali Akbar Velayati because Egypt had signed the Camp David Accord with the Israeli regime and offered asylum to Iran’s deposed monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Bilateral relations, however, have been on the mend following the 2011 Egyptian revolution that resulted in the ouster of the country’s dictator, Hosni Mubarak.

In August 2012, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi visited Iran to attend a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). It was the first visit of an Egyptian president to Iran in more than three decades.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also visited Egypt in February to attend the 12th summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as the first Iranian head of state to visit Egypt in 34 years.